ESTIMATION OF BOTTOM AMMONIUM AFFINITY IN THE NEW-CALEDONIA LAGOON

Ammonium affinity of New Caledonia lagoon benthic communities was measured during the course of 33 in situ enrichment experiments, in order to estimate the contribution of benthos to ammonium fluxes. Ammonium chloride was injected into enclosures pushed into the sediment, in order to obtain a concentration of 20-22 mu mol1(-1) in the enclosed water which approximated the interstitial water content. Ammonium kinetic uptake was then followed for two hours. Grey-sand bottom displayed the highest affinity for ammonium, but white-sand and muddy bottom affinity was of the same order of magnitude. Macrophytes, and microphytes (when macrophytes are absent), account for the bulk of ammonium bottom uptake. As a result, grey-sand bottoms with their dense macrophyte cover represent a sink for water column nitrogen and play a key role in nutrient cycling of the lagoon.